Chapter 31
Lola's point of view.
"Joe?" I shouted, pushing the key into the lock on the front door of his apartment. After dropping my luggage off at Alfie's, I'd updated him on my family's status before rushing round to Joe's to try and sort out whatever was between us.
"Joe!" I repeated running into the lounge where the TV was still on, blaring through the speakers. It was unlike him to forget something like that, however I shoved it off, moving towards the kitchen, which was also desolate.
"Joe!" I creaked open the bedroom door, trying to keep quiet in case he was still sleeping. Tip toeing over to the light switch, I flicked it over, causing the room to illuminate.
"Jose-" I stopped when I turned and saw my boyfriend's arm wrapped around a familiar figure's waist. Her long hair flowed over his pillow, moving slightly when his hot breath reached it.
I froze, taking in the sight before me. "No." I whispered repeatedly, trying to pry my eyes away from anything but the bodies in front of me.
Suddenly, Joe's body shifted, and he took his hand away from her, guiding it across to the other side whilst his body turned. He rubbed his eyes at the bright light, and hoisted himself up.
His green eyes widened when he realised I was standing there. Immediately, he swept his legs over to the other side of the bed and ran over to me, taking hold of my shaking arms.
"Lola! God, I thought I'd lost you!" An angry tear escaped and ran down my cheek as he turned to look at me. His appearance had changed since I saw him a week ago. He had dark circles under his eyes, and his hair looked longer and quite a bit thicker. His chin was covered in stubble and rubbed against my skin as he buried his face in my neck.
I shoved him off, using every ounce of strength I could muster. He looked at me, confused, like a kitten, and I mentally awed.
"Lola, I-"
"You slept with her, Joe! My best friend!"
Surprisingly, the volume of my voice hadn't woken up Courtney yet, and I was secretly hoping she wouldn't have the pleasure of watching us fight while she made snide remarks about how much better she was than me at almost everything.
"Lola I swear, we didn't go the far." He walked towards me, while I took a step back, slamming my body against the wall.
"How far did you go then, huh?" He gulped, looking down at his bare feet against the wooden floor. My eyes widened in return, realising what must've happened.
"I came back for you, Joe."
He returned his gaze to me, his face caked in guilt. I could see it, dripping off his body with every drop of sweat.
"Lo, I'm sorry."
I scoffed, not believing a word he said.
"What happened?" As much as I didn't want to hear it, I wanted to make sure I didn't jump to conclusions like last time, however I had a pretty accurate idea of what went on while I was gone.
"S-She kissed me, ok?" He stuttered, sitting at the opposite end of the bed while I stayed standing against the wall.
"She k-kissed me, a-and I kissed her b-back." (A/N: Whoop, there it is) Tears began dripping into his duvet, and he covered his head with his hands. I couldn't help but feel anger boil up inside of me.
"You have absolutely no right to cry!" I screamed, no doubt waking up Courtney. She stayed completely still, though, probably eavesdropping rather than involving herself, although, she was the whole cause of this situation. Or maybe it was purely the fact that we weren't meant to be, and she gave us a little push in the wrong direction.
"I've done nothing to you! And this is what I get! What is it? Was I never really good enough in the first place? I be-"
Before I could continue, he stood up, his legs still shaking, and began waking towards me. His eyes were still glassy, however not as many tears were flooding out.
"You were always enough, Lola. I don't know why I did it. I honestly never understood how I got so lucky, with you."
"Then why the hell were you with her?" I tried to shout, however my voice wouldn't reach above a whisper.
"I thought I'd lost you. I needed someone to numb the pain."
I swallowed, allowing him to continue.
"Please, Lo. Just let me explain."
I looked over to Courtney, who was sitting against the bed on her phone, smirking, as if this argument wasn't even happening.
"Not here." I said, nodding at the bed. "Meet me tomorrow at the coffee shop. We'll talk then."
"It's a date." He smiled, as I walked over to the bedroom door, half closing it.
"As friends." He looked at me, confused.
"We went too fast, Joe. We're meeting up, as friends."
I left him standing next to the blank wall.
If breaking up is what it took to trust each other again, then so be it.